T H E

October 2019

Photograph of the Alta Plaza steps in October 1989 by Ginny Lindsay 30 years ago

On October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake shook and the rest of the Bay Area. The neighborhood was spared major damage, but felt the effects of the quake in ways large and small. The cover of the next issue of this newspaper — Volume 4, Number 7, reprinted here — told the story.

n Inside, a local recalls the scene as regulars drew together at the Pacific Heights Bar & Grill, then a key community gathering place, which never recovered from the earthquake. | PAGES 8 & 9

n The most visible local damage was at St. Dominic’s Church, where the top of its tower was lost and the historic home of St. Rose Academy was razed. | PAGE 12 th Birth 33rd Anniversary Celebration! FLASHBACK 30 day Sale Treats Raffle ~ ~ October 25 & 26

2484 Sacramento St. @ Fillmore 415-346-3988 Toujourslingeriesf.com DA N I E L B AHMA Then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev stopped to press the flesh at Fillmore andC alifornia.

THE DAY Gorbachev Stopped AT Dino’s t was only a few months after the 1989 and they surged toward him. Others ran out earthquake when Mikhail Gorbachev, of Dino’s pizza parlor, the corner liquor store still president of the still superpowerful and the neighborhood copy center. SovietI Union, made a swing through San “Usually you don’t have occasion to see Francisco in early June of 1990. somebody so important so close,” said Felix It was a brief 22-hour stay, which Nager, who works at the copy center. “He’s like included sleeping late on Monday morn- a normal man.” ing, June 4. Gorbachev and his wife Raisa Norm Newman, a 30-year-old ex-U.S. had flown in late the night before, after Marine, was so overcome he screamed, “I stops in Washington and Minneapolis, and love you, Gorby!” Later, after he had shaken stayed in the neighborhood at the Soviet Gorbachev’s hand, he said, “He’s opening the consul general’s residence at 2820 Broad- doors. He’s a very likeable guy.” way. Gorbachev was behind schedule all Dino Stavrikikis, who owns the pizza day, but still feted like a visiting rock star shop, said Gorbachev was the most famous in appearances at Stanford University and man he had ever met — and he’s met Ronnie with the local business elite. The Gor- Lott, the famous 49er, Sleepy Floyd, the bachevs even worked in a reunion with old basketball player, and Jerry Brown, the friends Ronald and Nancy Reagan. politician. “The Bay Area basked in the afterglow “I would have liked it if he would have of a visit by Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gor- come in for a piece of pizza,” Dino said. bachev,” reported the Los Angeles Times, Inevitably, there were T-shirts for sale all “happy to show the world it has rebounded over the city. At Broadway and Divisadero, from last fall’s earthquake.” two blocks from the Soviet consular residence, Late in the afternoon, Gorbachev and shirts portrayed Gorbachev as Bart Simpson, his retinue headed back to the consul gen- with the words “Radical Dude” underneath. eral’s mansion on Outer Broadway. Their Although Gorbachev and his wife went motorcade of fierce-looking Zil limousines separate ways for most of the day, they met came barreling down the hill headed west again at 6:33 p.m. at the consular residence on Street toward Fillmore. on Broadway. When he spotted a group of two dozen The stop at Dino’s had lasted only a people on the corner, the procession came few minutes. The return to 2820 Broad- to a halt. Gorbachev bounded out of the way didn’t last much longer. A visit to the big boxy Zil and started shaking hands like was called off. a veteran American pol. “I always wanted to come here,” Gor- The Chronicle reported the next day: bachev told reporters as his motorcade Gorbachev stopped only once to mingle started to leave for the airport. “You’re with a crowd of ordinary people — at about very fortunate to live here. President Bush 6:15 p.m. at California and Fillmore streets. should tax the people for living in such a He walked toward the people on the street, beautiful place.”

THE NEW FILLMORE

P. O. Box 15115 n , ca 94115 n 415-441-6070 [email protected]

Editors | Barbara Kate Repa & Thomas R. Reynolds Production Editor | Ginny Lindsay Copy Editor | Donna Gillespie

Advertising inquiries [email protected] or 415.441.6070 Published on the first weekend of each month. Deadline: 20th of prior month Subscriptions by mail are available for $30 per year. Please send a check.

Connecting the neighborhood Every month, 20,000 copies of the New Fillmore circulate to homes and businesses in the Fillmore, Pacific Heights and Japantown. We thank you for your support and encouragement and welcome your ideas and suggestions.

newfillmore.com | for updates and archives

2 NEW FILLMORE October 2019 NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Browser Begins a New Era Green Apple takes DA N I E L B AHMA over this month Longtime employee Fred Martin at the front desk at Browser Books, which was rescued by supporters last year with a GoFundMe campaign.

hese stories almost always turn second store five years ago on 9th Avenue “We do plan some gradual improve- vided time to work out a longer-term out the wrong way: the beloved — promises the Browser name and staff will ments,” Mulvihill said. “I hope that six solution. Manager Jordan Pearson led the neighborhood small business — stay the same and changes will be gentle. months from now people will walk in and effort, aided by local entrepreneursR ichard especiallyT if it’s an independent bookstore “We’re proud to help shepherd the say, ‘I always loved this store, and it’s even and Ben Springwater. — shuts down. beloved Browser Books into the future,” better now.’ ” Green Apple takes over the remaining But not this time. Browser Books, said Green Apple co-owner Pete Mulvihill. Browser Books was rescued by its fans last seven years on Browser’s lease. Owners at 2195 Fillmore, got a new lease on life “We’re coming in confidently but humbly.” spring when a GoFundMe campaign almost Kevin Ryan and Mulvihill will be in the October 1 when the owners of Green Green Apple will bring an infusion of immediately raised $80,000 to pay the debts store on Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. Apple Books took the keys. operating capital and bookselling back- of longtime owner Stephen Damon, who to 3 p.m. for a “Meet the New Owners” cel- Green Apple — the new and used book- bone, but most of the initial changes will has been battling a terminal illness. ebration and an unveiling of Browser’s new seller on Clement Street, which added a be behind the scenes. That kept the books coming and pro- T-shirts and tote bags.

A day-long celebration for girls! • All-day performances • Girlpreneur competition • 40+ interactive exhibitors • Fun fashion show with young • 20+ engaging workshops female designers • Career mentoring sessions • Girl entrepreneur Pop-Up Shop • Makerspace featuring • Sports & activity arena everything S.T.E.A.M. • Contests and more! Tickets range from $10 to $15 & kids under 7 are free!

/07&.#&35)ǎ1"-"$&0''*/&"354ǎ4' XPSMEXJEFXPNFOHJSMTGFTUJWBMPSH

October 2019 NEW FILLMORE 3 CRIME WATCH

Robbery found several outstanding warrants for his Franklin and McAllister arrest and he was booked at county jail. August 16, 9 a.m. A woman was walking down the street Hot Prowl when a man approached her and forcibly Vallejo and Lyon took her wallet. After removing the cash, September 14, 2:55 a.m. he handed the wallet back to her and ran A man was sleeping when he received off. The suspect is a male between 30 and a text message from a neighbor inform- 35 years old. Police have no suspects. ing him that his garage door was open. He discovered a bag was missing from his Assault garage. A second individual had parked his Webster and Page rental car in front of the same house, and August 16, 1 p.m. later found that items had been stolen from A man was staying with a friend when the vehicle. Video footage retrieved from two individuals in the apartment got into a neighbor showed a suspect approaching a fight. When the guest tried to leave, one the car, opening the apparently unlocked man involved in the altercation attacked door and removing items, then walking off. him with a knife. The man who was Moments later, the garage door opened. The (415) 554-4375 assaulted was hospitalized with non-life- suspect can be seen walking in and taking threatening injuries. The suspect is a man the bag. The matter is under investigation. in his 20s. The matter is under investiga- tion. Armed Threat VOLUNTEER TODAY! VOLUNTEERDivisadero TODAY! and Bush •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••Terrorist Threats, ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••September 17, 11:13•• a.m. •••••••••••••••••••• Make•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• a•••••••••••••••••••• difference in the lives of•• many ••••••••••••Make•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• a•••••••••••••••••••• difference in the lives of•• many •••••••••••••••••••• Exhibiting a Deadly Weapon A man brandishing a pocketknife Sutter and Broderick approached two patrons leaving a restau- August 29, 5:16 p.m. rant with bags of leftovers and demanded Two individuals became engaged in a their food and their money. When they heated argument. One man left to go to his refused to comply, the suspect threatened to car, but soon returned with a handgun, say- damage their vehicle. The two took refuge ing: “It’s a good day to die.” Then he bolted in their car, believing the aggressive man The San•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Francisco Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program The San•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Francisco Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••is recruiting volunteers to visit and protect the well-being of seniors and and drove ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••off isin recruiting a dark-colored volunteers Jeep.to visit andThe protectwould the continue well-being to of attackseniors andthem. Witnesses is recruitingis recruiting volunteerspersons volunteers with disabilities toto visitvisit and andliving protect inprotect long-term the well the care-being well-being facilities of seniors. ofand seniors man is who recruiting hadis recruiting been volunteers threatenedpersons volunteers with disabilities calledtoto visitvisit theand andliving protectflagged inprotect long-term the well thedown care-being well-being facilities the of seniors . police, ofand seniors who found the and personspersons with ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••with disabilities disabilities living living ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••in long-term in long-term care facilities care .facilities. police. Oandfficers persons foundpersons withthe ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••with Jeep disabilities disabilities unoccupied, living living individual. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••in long-term in long-term He care pulled facilities care out .facilities. the pocketknife several blocks away. The Jeep was towed, ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••as•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• they approached. The officers ordered ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••To learn more, call and the matter is under investigation.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••To learn more,the suspect call to drop the knife and he was •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• placed in handcuffs. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••(415) 751-9788 Hot Prowl ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••(415) 751-9788 Laguna and Page Auto Break-in August 30, 8:20 a.m. Divisadero and O’Farrell A woman awoke and found that the September 17, 12:41 a.m. front window of her home had been forced A witness called 911 to report an auto open during the night. Two laptops, jewelry, break-in in progress. Police spotted the sus- email: [email protected] email: [email protected] a smartwatch and some cash were missing. pects en route, but they fled on foot. They Police have not yet made any arrests. found one man crouching behind a vehicle, but he ran off when they commanded him Armed Robbery to sit on the ground. A foot pursuit began. Clement and 9th Eventually police apprehended one suspect August 31, 7:44 p.m. and placed him in handcuffs. Later a wit- A store employee saw a known shop- ness flagged them down and indicated that Find us on Facebook or email: [email protected] lifter enter the market, pick up several the other suspect had run into a parking items, then begin making her way toward garage. Officers entered the garage, found the front door. When the employee fol- the man and shouted a command to sur- lowed her, the woman shoved him out of render. He complied and was placed in the way and ran. He continued to pursue, handcuffs. Both suspects were booked at but she turned around and brandished a Northern Station. knife. The employee called the police. The officers located the suspect several blocks Robbery away. She was arrested and booked at Geary and Masonic county jail. September 17, 7:36 p.m. Three individuals entered the Target Outstanding Warrant store, grabbed merchandise and ran out Pacific and Polk without paying. An employee followed September 5, 10 a.m. them, and one suspect turned and pepper- Four sheriff ’s deputies attempting to sprayed his pursuer. The other suspects fled. serve an arrest warrant on a man who had When police arrived, the suspect who had missed a court date for a burglary charge been detained gave them a false name and used a battering ram to break down his stated that she was a juvenile. However, door. When it finally flew open, a pit bull when taken to the Youth Guidance Cen- rushed out. One deputy shot the dog, kill- ter, the suspect admitted she was actually ing it. The suspect was injured during the 19 years old. She was arrested for robbery, arrest; the bullet that struck the dog had possession of stolen property and unlawful hit him in the finger. The man was taken to use of pepper spray. The other two suspects the hospital to be treated. An investigation are still at large. is ongoing to determine whether shooting the dog could have been prevented. Armed Robbery California and Baker Hot Prowl September 21, 4:23 a.m. Geary and 38th A man was sitting in his car with the September 6, 3:44 a.m. door open when a man approached him A resident heard a loud bang near his and pointed a gun at his chest. The robber front door. He looked through the door’s demanded the man’s bag, which he wore peephole and saw a man outside carrying over his shoulder. They struggled until the a long wooden pole. The man repeatedly strap broke, and the robber ran off with struck the front door with the pole. The the bag. A second suspect was waiting for resident called the police, then opened the the fleeing suspect in a two-door silver door and shouted at the man to drop his Honda Civic. He jumped inside and weapon and get down on the ground. The the two left the area. The first suspect is intruder fled. The resident gave chase, while described as a black male, from 25 to 30 updating the police during the pursuit. Offi- years old; the second suspect as a Latino cers arrived and struggled with the suspect, male of roughly the same age. Both sus- eventually taking him into custody. They pects are still at large. 4 NEW FILLMORE October 2019 FILLMORE BEAT

It’s CBD All Around Noosh chefs By Chris Barnett Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz istory says the modern-era pizza was invented in Naples in the 17th century are heralded as street food for the poor. Now pizza pricing history may be in the making at as rising stars 2043 Fillmore, where APIZZA opened late last month and, as heralded, is selling — and there’s another nearby a full nine-inch Margherita pie for $2.75, about the cost of a slice at most pizzerias. H PIERRE LAUGA in Japantown. Congenial Frenchman and general manager says beer and wine will soon be poured and — get this — CBD oil will soon be available as a pizza topping. Also on the CBD front: While well-heeled entrepreneurs are pushing hard to turn the Unity Church on Bush Street into a cannabis emporium, GARIN opened almost Stove wizards: overnight at 2053 Fillmore near California as a creative retailing venture selling luxury The neighborhood is home to three of the Chron’s annual listing of cashmere and CBD. This is no upmarket pot shop. It’s a partnership between NEGARIN Rising Star Chefs, hailed for “pushing their respective cuisines forward.” One is MEGHAN SADR — a longtime merchant of stylish cashmere clothing for men and women who CLARK of the long-awaited and recently opened modern Thai restaurantNARI in the Hotel previously had Negarin in this storefront — and PAUL CLOTAR and PETER STADNIUK, Kabuki at 1625 Post in Japantown. “Americans often think Thai food is just street food,” who’ve developed the hemp-based SEABEDEE product line aimed, they say, at reducing Clark says. “And that’s not even the best part of it. Thai food has a lot of rich history of pain, anxiety and improving sleep. beautifully prepared meals.” n Also honored is the husband and wife team of LAURA and SAYAT OZYILMAZ, whose R.I.P. OSTERIA: The low-profile 30-plus-year-old Northern Italian restaurant Osteria eastern Mediterranean cuisine is packing the house daily at NOOSH at Fillmore and Pine Cucina Toscana, at 3277 Sacramento has quietly closed. Chairs are upside down on — “a stylish restaurant on Fillmore that redefines so much about Bay Area restaurants, the tables in a ghostly manner. There’s a broker’s for lease sign in the window, but no from both culinary and operational points of view,” the Chron notes. n goodbye note on the door. Osteria was a longtime fave of Presidio and Pacific Heights THE TRIBES IN THE GROVE: THE GROVE regulars who went for the cuisine and family feeling. Owner Gina Ghorbani closed The rustic and familiar coffeehouse-restaurant Osteria after keeping it afloat for 11 years following the death of her husband,V ahid at 2016 Fillmore is known for its diverse menu and smart servers. Now it has added Ghorbani, in July 2008. He was a Persian with a passion for Italian food. greater diversity to its staffing. A trio of Native American women from three different Just across the street on Presidio, GARIBALDI’S celebrated its 30th anniversary on California tribes have joined, bringing their smiles and swift service skills with them: September 27 and co-owners CATE MASON, LLOYD SACKS and chef DOUGLAS BORKOWSKI MONIQUE VALADOR-PINEDA from the Ohlone Tribe in San Jose, CIErrA OSCAR from the hosted a Bubbles and Bites Bash to celebrate. Founders JOHN and ANN HURLEY and Yurok tribe and JENA MARSHALL from the Hoopa tribe east of Eureka, one of the very JUSTIN HAFEN showed up to party. few Indian nations in California not to have its lands seized by the U.S. government. n n SWEET TREAT: PHILMORE CREAMERY LOCALS ON THE MOVE: Over at Florio, at 1915 Fillmore, favorite former chef RICK HACKETT Nestled among the storefronts at 1840 Fillmore is the , returns as executive chef after running his own place in Jack London Square. He brings a family owned gelato emporium. Handmade on the premises in small batches, the along NAIZER MUBARAK, who will add Pan-American savory and spice to some dishes, but gelato flavors, a rotating list of 40, are so intense they make your taste buds dance. Dad the menu remains the same, promises general manager JOHN CASTANO. PHIL MALIK and son JORDAN MALIK source ingredients globally. The chocolate comes from Founder-owner JACK KREITZMAN is back at the helm of his 34-year-old trattoria Caffarel in Torino, Italy, reputedly the world’s oldest chocolate company. Prices range JACKSON FILLMORE, at 2506 Fillmore near Jackson, as brother-sister managers CASEY and from $5 for a small cup up to $20 for 32 ounces to go. Try the espresso gelato. Mom KELLY SULLIVAN move on to new ventures. MONA MALIK designed the place and is the real boss. Uber Eats, Door Dash and Postmate KALISTA MURPHY exits her customer service post at the Wells Fargo branch at deliver for those with cravings. During the day, Jordan hawks sidewalk samples. California and Fillmore and moves a block south to join HARRY’S BAR at 2020 Fillmore as a server. “The food and bar business is more exciting,” she explains. The Beat goes on. Send newsy local items to [email protected] or call 415-921-5092.

Ad Paid for by Affordable Communities Now! Yes on E! Committee major funding from Yerba Buena Consortium LLC, American Federation of Teachers, California Federation of Teachers, and California Barrel Company LLC. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org

October 2019 NEW FILLMORE 5 LOCAL HISTORY PHO T OG R APHS B Y JOA N HO C KADAY Three recently opened San Francisco businesses retained the entry tiles from their past as Shumate’s Pharmacies. From left, Pearl 6101, Blue Bottle Coffee and AltoVino owner Claudio Villani.

Tiles a Reminder of a Pharmacy Empire Based in the Neighborhood By Joan Hockaday Divisadero and Sutter, only three blocks destroyed. Some of them didn’t rebuild. his doorstep to his own mission. “We give from the Shumate family home on a Father said the earthquake really helped you medicine and pleasure, too,” Villani n the southwest corner of Fill- large corner lot at Pine and Scott Streets. him financially because Divisadero Street, said while watching cable cars grinding more and Jackson, the modern The restored Shumate home and garden like Fillmore, became quite a center of the uphill outside his shop. “Food — that is new home of Blue Bottle Coffee still remain at 1901 Scott Street. Thomas city after the earthquake.” medicine, and good and healthy, too.” O serves long lines of coffee lovers from early Shumate’s son, Dr. Albert Shumate, lived By 1933, the city directory listed 30 On the southwest corner of California morning through late afternoon. there until his death in 1998 at age 94. Shumate pharmacies on corners through- Street and 23rd Avenue, another new eat- Customers enter by stepping over vin- n out the city, with a general office at 1640 ery also retained the Shumate tiles on its tage black and white tiles that spell out The firm grew quickly after the 1906 Divisadero. All have since closed. doorstep. Shumate’s — a reminder that this was once earthquake and fire. n Inside Pearl 6101 — the name a conven- a Shumate’s Pharmacy, one of 30 that for a “Father was only a struggling doctor, Recently two more new businesses have ient reminder of the address at 6101 Cali- time were spread throughout the city. so to speak, a physician, and owned one opened with vintage Shumate’s tiles intact. fornia Street — the decor is a throwback Each of the Shumate family pharma- drugstore,” Dr. Albert Shumate said in an At the southeast corner of Mason and to the 1930s and 1940s. A wooden balcony cies was located on visible corner sites in oral history recorded in 1978 for the Ban- Pacific, along the cable car line, Italian remains from the original pharmacy. the city beginning in 1900, when the state croft Library at UC Berkeley. “The fire and wine connoisseur Claudio Villani recently “We designed it that way,” co-owner issued a business license to Dr. Thomas earthquake in a way aided him. His store purchased the corner site and christened John Heffron said. As for saving the Shumate. was not touched. Some of the drugstores his restaurant AltoVino. He soon con- Shumate tiles, he says: “We liked it as a The first pharmacy was at the corner of downtown that were well established were nected the Shumate legacy in the tiles on reminder of the history of San Francisco.”

LIVEJAZZ NIGHTLY NO COVER CHARGE 1419 FILLMORE ST. AT O’FARRELL ST. 415.440.7414 SHEBAPIANOLOUNGE.COM

6 NEW FILLMORE October 2019 FOOD & DRINK

‘An Exceptional Pie at a Very Low Price’ Apizza launches a revolution on Fillmore Street

By Shelley Handler “There’s nothing to hide,” says Bernadi. “We are completely transparent with what t 2043 Fillmore, a few hundred we serve and how we make it. We use the yards from his original La Bou- best organic flour and organic produce from langerie on Pine Street, baker and local farms. The pizza crusts and tomato Aentrepreneur Pascal Rigo and his partner sauce are prepared by us in our own plant, Nicolas Bernadi on September 24 launched under controlled production. That way the Apizza, a fast food pie shop with an eye quality is 100 percent consistent, no mat- toward becoming the “In-N-Out of pizza.” ter who’s making the pizza. We freeze the “The field was ripe for disruption,” says crusts, and they’re ready to go into the oven Jason Thompson, Apizza’s chief develop- from there. If we make the dough from PHO T OG R APHS B Y SUZI E I HL ER ment officer. “Nobody has done anything scratch in our restaurants, it’s too hard to new with pizza in decades.” monitor the outcome.” Apizza’s menu offers a variety of upscale pizzas at drive-thru prices to eat in or take out, The team’s revolutionary approach n served up by an enthusiastic crew. More locations are in the works. has been far from high-tech. “Pascal and Bernadi points to his experience with Nicolas started with this familiar product, Starbucks as the inspiration for offering and changed the game by critically hon- upscale pizzas at drive-thru prices. When ing production so waste is at an absolute the megalith bought Rigo’s 23 La Boulange minimum,” Thompson says. “From there, bakeries for $100 million, it kept Rigo and they put the savings into great ingredients, Bernadi on to upgrade Starbucks’ pastries allowing Apizza to sell an exceptional pie and breads. Creating quality baked goods at a very low price.” for 70 million cus- An example is tomers a day opened the Margherita, the partners’ eyes to made on an ultra- the wild potential thin nine-inch of scale. They began o r g a n i c c r u s t to ask themselves: topped with quality “How can we force Mozzarella, organic lots of people to cherry tomatoes and eat well?” Taking basil, which rings in a universally loved at a door-busting product like pizza $2.75. and turning it into Enthusiasm for a healthful dish at this ground-break- a “crazy affordable” ing concept carries price became their veggie ($5.79) offers organic vegetables at with the option of simple syrup to add at from the top down. mission. their peak, drizzled with a garlicky, caper- the table. As an incentive to lower single- “Life is too short Apizza’s pri- rich Italian salsa verde. And $4.99 brings a use waste, a 30 cent discount is offered for to work at some- orities also play out straightforward cheese and pepperoni. those who bring their own cups. Coke and thing you don’t in its packaging. One fun departure from the classics is Diet Coke are also offered. love — and we’re Rather than use La Royale With Cheese (thank you, Pulp n all having so much bulky, pricey pizza Fiction) — a $5.99 deconstructed cheese- Crisp chocolate chip cookies are the first fun,” says Bernadi. boxes, the takeout burger pie that includes the feel-good thing out of the pizza oven daily, before the An avid kite-surfer, Apizza is now open at 2043 Fillmore Street. pies are folded into bonus of a 25 cent donation to the Learn- pies begin to crank. For a mere 75 cents, his energetic joy is compostable take- Up reading program. Those who are not diners may order them neat or as a mix-in palpable. And it’s obvious among the staff away containers. meat eaters can substitute the ground beef with Apizza’s Loving Cup frozen yogurt. members, too, whose smiling charm and “I hate waste,” says Bernadi. “So every- or sausage with Impossible Meat’s options. Rigo and partners acquired the company willingness to serve add a level of polish thing is completely biodegradable, down to With a choice of three crusts — organic last year, and Loving Cup’s nonfat, probi- that goes far beyond fast food. Though the our hay-based drinking straws.” wheat, organic sprouted wheat and gluten- otic-rich yogurt matches Apizza’s good- prices are low and the delivery quick, this Thanks to the carefully selected, mostly free — the pies are a healthy choice from and-good-for-you intent. Other mix-in feels like a full-service restaurant. organic ingredients, the nine-inch pies top to bottom. offerings, such asN utella, Oreos, chocolate From the clean, bright feel of the space punch far above their price in value and The sweet side of the menu is refresh- chips and Junior Mints are right there next to the wall graphics that spell out what’s flavor. A $5.99 sausage pizza serves up ingly “clean,” but not oppressively so. to the strawberries. in the crust and sauce, the quality is out in Creminelli heritage pork sausage and Housemade natural drinks, using unsweet- Because a little splurge goes so well with the open. roasted red bell pepper. The roasted seasonal ened fruit purees and sparkling water, come everything else.

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October 2019 NEW FILLMORE 7 FAVORITE PLACES n FIRST PERSON

Among Friends When the ’89 Earthquake Hit By Marilyn Fisher

left the office about 4:35 that afternoon — October 17, 1989 — to get a decent seat at the Pacific I Heights Bar & Grill to watch the third game of the World Series. I had been there about five minutes when the earthquake hit at 5:04 p.m. It started with a slight jolt and a rumble, similar to a bus going by. Then someone near me yelled “earthquake” and it was apparent it wasn’t just a bus. I dived under a nearby table and a girl sitting next to me dived there, too. We held on to the pedestal table as it jerked up and down. There was an incredible roaring sound. I thought the walls would come tumbling down. But they didn’t, and then it was over, with no damage at all, not a single broken bottle or glass. n Like the vast majority of people in the area, we had no idea how bad it was and at first assumed the game would soon continue, although the power was out and the television, obviously, dark. A large transistor radio was brought out from the kitchen and

lisa b l e vi n s a group of us stayed glued to it for The oyster bar in the window of the Pacific HeightsB ar & Grill at Fillmore and Pine bustled with regulars and offered an extensive selection. several minutes. The first reports were sketchy and confused. People ordered drinks and were in a crazy, scared but almost cheerful mood — until we heard on the radio that a portion of the Bay Bridge and a freeway in Oakland were down. Next we heard about a terrible Those Were the Days fire and buildings collapsing in the Marina. People who lived out of the city began scampering for pay phones, The Pacific Heights Bar & Grill was the neighborhood gathering place many of which were not working, although some were. By Thomas Reynolds to partner with a friend who had a restaurant on Polk Street. As it got dark, Susie and Craig “Then this idea bloomed,” says Bashel. “Honestly, we were so Bashel, the owners of the PacBag, ehind the crowds queueing up outside the hot new young and so green. It just took off.” closed to non-regulars and locked restaurant Noosh, on the corner of Fillmore and Pine, is The oyster bar in the front window was a visible draw, and the door. They brought out candles a small brass plaque recalling an earlier incarnation of the operated on a scale seen nowhere else in town, and few other and served drinks to the regulars. B space when it was home to the late and much-lamented Pacific places anywhere. Eventually most of our crowd who Heights Bar & Grill. “We had a terrific selection of oysters — sometimes 20 kinds had gone to Candlestick Park for The PacBag, as it was known, was a pioneering restaurant that a day,” says Bashel. They were sent by UPS. “We’d go down to the the game knocked on the door and reigned as the neighborhood’s living room for a decade. airport to pick them up. Nobody was doing what we were doing.” filtered in. “It was the neighborhood Cheers,” the bar on the television And there was a long new drinking bar visible from both Pine The PacBag was such an integral show where everybody knows your name, says Marilyn Fisher, a and Fillmore. part of our neighborhood community, lawyer who lived nearby and was a regular. “It had that huge bar — 22 seats,” Bashel says. “We had all a place so many of us knew we would “It was like Cheers,” agrees co-owner Susie Bashel. “People kinds of regulars. It turned into a neighborhood place, but with a always see friends, beginning with came in almost every day.” little glamour.” Susie and Craig — a natural place to Before the PacBag opened in 1984 — and definitely before the Herb Caen helped. The legendaryChronicle columnist reported gravitate to in good times and bad. I Elite Cafe opened on the same block in 1981 — California Street one day that the seafood at the PacBag was so fresh that chef think we all felt a little more complete was the dividing line between upper and lower Fillmore. Lonnie Williams had “reached into the refrigerator for a piece of that night when the contingent that “People farther north started migrating down,” says longtime fish and was bitten on the index finger by a quite live 30-pound had been at the ball park arrived and neighborhood resident Ronald Hobbs, who ran Spectrum Exotic halibut.” Caen added: “The fish aren’t taking this lying down.” joined us in the candlelight. Birds next door to the PacBag and became one of the regulars. Williams and server Karen Warner wrote a book — Oysters: n “Before, anything south of California Street was sketchy.” A Connoisseur’s Guide & Cookbook — that capitalized on the res- We all left about 11 p.m., and I Hobbs says the new restaurant, with its extensive oyster bar in taurant’s claim as one of the best-stocked oyster bars in the nation. was fortunate that a friend who lived the front window, was several cuts above most of its neighbors. “It The beautiful little book remains a collector’s item. in my building had arrived with a was!” he says. “I put on a white shirt. I’d clean my fingernails.” flashlight. Another friend drove us s the restaurant’s reputation grew — Orville Schell in home, through streets pitch dark t all started when a runaway Muni bus plowed through California magazine called it “the best seafood this side and quiet. I know I slept some that the front door one afternoon and knocked the building off its of a sandbar” — people came from all over. But the locals night, but sleeping was not easy in the foundation. The repairs offered the opportunity to do seismic consideredA it their own. aftermath of the earthquake. workI and upgrade the interior, too, which had previously housed “We were patronized by people who lived nearby,” Bashel says. The next day, Wednesday, October an antiques shop and a plant store. “And so many people knew each other! You’d walk in and talk to 18, was a strange day. Most of “We got a little more ambitious,” says Bashel, who ran the res- four or five people on your way down the bar.” us in the neighborhood still had taurant with her husband, Craig. The San Francisco International Film Festival was then held no electrical power. Some of the They had come up from Southern California to open a res- every year at the swanky new Kabuki cinemas on Post Street, and commercial establishments on taurant in Santa Rosa, or perhaps Sonoma. Instead they decided would always buy out the PacBag for a party. Robert and Magrit Fillmore or nearby did have power —

8 NEW FILLMORE October 2019 ood ortraits on locationP or in the studio

Susie and Craig Bashel owned and operated the PacBag from 1984 to 1994.

Making food look elegant u tHOSE WERE THE DAYS frankwingphoto.com/food drink — I couldn’t wait for my own.” Mondavi took it over to promote their The quake signaled the beginning of the 415.921.5500 Frank Wing photography winery. end for the PacBag. “Robin Williams lived nearby and “It was a great business, until the would always come in and get take-out for earthquake hit in 1989,” Bashel says. “It 15 or 20 people,” says Bashel. “It was wildly was never quite the same. We never quite expensive.” recovered from the earthquake.” One of the most regular regulars even Locals still came in for a cocktail after got married at the PacBag — to someone work, but the Bay Bridge was closed, cut- he’d met at the bar. ting off fans from the EastB ay. The owners The restaurant had a personal and care- hung on for a few more years before finally fully crafted wine program, too. Bashel her- calling it quits in 1994. self was in charge of choosing the wines. “We were getting close to the end of our “Anthony Dias Blue lived in the neigh- 10-year lease,” Bashel recalls. “Business had borhood,” Bashel says. “His Bon Appetit declined to the point that we felt we should wine tasting panel met upstairs at the let it die a natural death. It was super-hard. PacBag for a couple of years. He let me It was really sad.” taste with them — tasting, and just listen- Eventually they made their way north ing.” to Oregon. Many of the regulars were baseball fans, “We made a conscious decision to get so once or twice a season the PacBag would out of seafood and do something more HOST A YOUNG ADULT Fill out an application today at: bit.ly/HostHomesApp rent a bus and provide the food and drinks affordable — something with a bigger audi- IN YOUR HOME TODAY! for a tailgate party at a Giants game. “Those ence and more potential customers. The To learn more, join us on October 19 To help end youth were a blast,” Bashel remembers. Portland restaurant scene was just starting at 2pm for our Host Homes Info Session. housing crisis in SF! To RSVP or for more information, contact us at It all seemed like something of a and offered a lot more opportunity.” 415-865-5541 or [email protected]. dream. They found success of a different kind “I never thought we would have a res- when they opened Pastini, a casual Italian taurant like that,” she says. “Our goals and restaurant, in Portland. Now, 25 years after our vision were much smaller. It was thrill- they left Fillmore Street, they have three ing.” Pastinis in Portland and five more in the suburbs and other parts of Oregon. hen came the Loma Prieta earth- They have fond memories, but no sec- quake on October 17, 1989. Some ond thoughts about closing the PacBag. of the regulars were at the World “I think it was the right time,” Bashel SeriesT game at Candlestick Park, and oth- says. “We regret only that we had to leave. ers gathered at the PacBag to watch the It was one of the best parts of my life — all broadcast of the game. the friends I made that I still have, and liv- “I was cleaning out the cages in the bird ing in San Francisco, which was wonderful. store and it started shaking,” recalls Ron- We have so many good memories and met ald Hobbs. “When things settled down, I so many good people. It was an amazing went into the PacBag and took somebody’s experience for us.” Do you need legal counsel? We invite you to contact us. 0VSöSTUDMJFOUDPOGFSFODFJTXJUIPVUDIBSHF8FXPSLPOB DPOUJOHFODZPSCJMMBCMFCBTJTUPNBLFPVSTFSWJDFTBòPSEBCMFUPZPV

The neon Representation in trials, sign sign arbitrations, mediations and in the front appeals of all civil disputes. window. A brass plaque This is what we do. with the logo remains near the entry of Guy O. Kornblum Noosh. t$FSUJöFEJO$JWJM5SJBMBOE Pretrial Practice Advocacy t/BUJPOBM#PBSEPG5SJBM"EWPDBDZ t5PQ5SJBM-BXZFST u FIRST PERSON Guy Kornblum and his wife, Victoria, There were early reports of severe live in the neighborhood and raised including the Grand Central Market — damage at my law office downtown, but their two children here. but it was sporadic. The PacBag and my almost nobody even attempted to call apartment building had no power until others about work until Friday, October Thursday morning. 20, when most parts of the city had Although there was no damage power restored. where I lived at Bush and Webster, we Three days later, after the weekend, Kornblum, Cochran, Erickson & Harbison, LLP were only 15 blocks from the Marina, they told us it was safe to go back to 4VUUFS4USFFU 4VJUF 4BO'SBODJTDP $"t which was heavily damaged. In the first work, despite previous reports about 0ME$PVSUIPVTF4RVBSF 4VJUF 4BOUB3PTB $"t several days after the quake, it seemed asbestos and structural damage. The old www.kcehlaw.com unfair, and made our neighborhood feel half of our building was condemned, almost guilty that we were okay while but the new part, built in 1957, was there was such devastation so close by. determined to be safe. *OTVSBODFBOE*OKVSZ$MBJNTt#VTJOFTT%JTQVUFT &MEFS"CVTFt.FEJDBMBOE-FHBM.BMQSBDUJDF

October 2019 NEW FILLMORE 9 FILM

By Andrea Chase kidnaps her back to her rural childhood home and her strange, estranged family. he Japan Film Festival of San By turns absurdly funny and poignant, the Francisco returns to the neighbor- film ponders being 30 with warmth and hood this month for its seventh originality. installmentT at New People Cinema in Closing night is a comic look at love and Japantown, featuring the latest in drama, freedom with A Banana? At This Time of comedy, sci-fi and documentaries — with Night? (October 13 at 5:30 p.m.) by Tetsu a pair of luminaries in attendance. Maeda and based on the book by Kazufumi The festival runs from October 4 to 13. Watanabe. It centers on Yo (Yasuaki Shi- Here are some highlights. kano), a man using a wheelchair because Opening night is Tatsushi Omori’s of muscular dystrophy. He doesn’t let that Every Day a Good Day (October 4 at 7:15 keep him from a freewheeling lifestyle that p.m.), based on a series of essays by Noriko includes developing a crush on his newest Morishita on her quarter-century devotion caretaker (Mitsuki Takahata) and being to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. As generally obnoxious to everyone around meditative as the ceremony itself, with the him, including her. Told with broad humor same attention to the smallest details that Haru Kuroki (left) and Kirin Kiki and the Japanese tea ceremony star in Every Day A Good Day. and bright colors, it manages to be joyfully inform the whole, it features the final per- optimistic despite its tough premise. formance by legendary actress Kirin Kiki as Also noteworthy: the tea mistress tutoring Noriko, played by n Attendee Miyuki Tokoi’s A Jour- Haru Kuroki, through the art and philoso- ney Through Genders (October 6 at noon), phy of the tea ceremony. Japan Filmfest Returns which focuses on struggles with society’s The national phenomenon in Japan strictly binary approach to gender. that is I Go Gaga, My Dear (October 5 at It’s back at New People in Japantown this month n Atsuya Uki’s Cencoroll Connect (Octo- noon) hits San Francisco, with first-time ber 7 at 7:15 p.m.), for anime fans, which feature director Naoko Nobutomo making time loop that thwarts the story’s four (October 11 at 7:15 p.m.) by Hiroyuki combines a tardigrade-esque monster, a a special appearance. The award-winning would-be suicides in Yoshio Kato’s 3-Ft. Nakatani. Told Kabuki style, it’s a sump- boy with a secret, a girl with a little too television producer turned her camera on Ball & Souls (October 5 at 3 p.m.) provides tuous tragedy of love gone wrong, a lapse much curiosity and a techno beat in a much her parents as they faced the ups, downs a framework for a quirky character study of etiquette and blood being shed over the anticipated sequel to 2009’s Cencoroll. n and contagious happiness of their 60 years and a neat dissection of the ills of modern most fetching courtesan in the 19th cen- “DigiCon6 ASIA Awards: The Won- together. Told with great heart but without society that lead to suicidal despair. Meta- tury Yoshiwara pleasure district. ders of Animation” (October 8 at 7:15 sentimentality, it’s affecting, heartbreak- phors abound, but that only adds to the Contemporary discontent plays out p.m.), a full program of anime shorts from ing and uplifting. Note: Nobutomo’s film surreality intended by Kato in this worthy with puckish insight in Yuko Hakota’s all over Asia covering all manner of topics. Fortune in Disguise — My Cancer and Tokyo entry into the sci-fi without special effects Blue Hour (October 13 at 1:20 p.m.) as its Tower referenced in Gaga, screens October genre. heroine, Sunada (Kaho) drifts in the urban For more information about the 7th annual 6 at 5 p.m. For historical splendor, there’s the unique doldrums until her uber-spontaneous gal Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, go to Suicide by fireworks and a persistent offering ofKagotsurube, The Haunted Sword pal Kiyoura (Shim Eun-kyung) all but jffsf.org/2019.

At Long Last, Roy Cohn on the Big Screen ocumentarian Matt Tyrnauer has covered that made Cohn the hard-nosed son of a bitch whose pop culture topics such as Studio 54 and Scotty very name on a letterhead could strike enough terror Bowers, the unpaid pimp of Hollywood stars, in defendants that they would drop their lawsuits. The withD both flair and intelligence. In his treatments, he result is a fascinating precis on the contradictions of gave them a gravitas and cultural context that elevated human nature that could allow Cohn to deny he was them from mere objects of celebrity gossip to substan- dying of AIDS even as he accepted the experimental tial contributors to the times in which they took place. treatment that his pals, the Reagans, arranged for him. In his latest doc, Where’s My Roy Cohn?, opening Or giggle over his sex life with a relative with whom he at the neighborhood’s Clay Theatre on October 18, was unselfconsciously candid. Tyrnauer takes on a figure of legendary proportions, If that was all Tyrnauer had accomplished, that would most of them pure evil — a persona in which Cohn be enough. But he goes further. Tracing the mentoring delighted. relationship Cohn established with a young Donald The film is more than a mere recounting of Cohn’s Trump, he finds the roots of the political landscape in time as Joseph McCarthy’s minion during the infamous which we currently reside. It’s a cautionary tale about Senate witch hunts of the Cold War, or the later shady greed, corruption and wounded souls that is not only dealings that eventually got him disbarred. Instead, riveting, but also ominously prescient. Tyrnauer carefully reflects on the dysfunctional family — Andrea Chase

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Buster Keaton on Divisadero

Atop the crest of the hill on Divisadero Street, looking “Will you marry me?” with a “Certainly not!” on Divisadero Street purely because the northerly crest north between Pacific and Broadway, a car slowly makes a Dejected, Treadway slinks back down the steps to the prevented other structures from cluttering the scope of the U-turn, then stops on the opposite side of the street. Buster street below and quietly informs his chauffeur that he won’t scene. His minimalist vision makes this scene that much Keaton filmed almost exclusively on Hollywood lots, but be needing the car; instead what he chiefly needs is a nice more endearing. It’s as if these two giant mansions and a traveled to San Francisco to get this one shot. long walk to clear his mind. He then walks back across the few others exist all by themselves. That makes the fairy tale The first five minutes of The Navigator, from 1924, are lonely street to his own mansion. of the two young lovers that much sweeter, even when she among the funniest in the entire film. The opening gag The hilarity of this scene only works due to its rejects him. introduces Keaton’s character to us as the rich bachelor extravagance. In seconds, we learn that Rollo Treadway is The ivy-choked mansion on the right, which was meant Rollo Treadway, who wakes up with the bright idea that he a young man with more dollars than sense, coupled with a to belong to Rollo Treadway, is now sadly long gone, should get married — immediately. The caption card reads: keen inability to read a situation. The fact that the chauffeur demolished in the 1930s. But his girlfriend’s mansion is “He had completed all the arrangements — except to notify is not surprised in the least to be instructed to drive his boss still in place at 2505 Divisadero. Built in 1899, it was more the girl.” a mere 180-degree turn across the street paints a picture of recently known as Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s Treadway instructs his chauffeur to take him at once to the blissful wastefulness of the young millionaire. Keaton’s residence. It sold for $10 million three years ago, a price at his girlfriend’s house. The car starts and does a U-turn and brilliance was his ability to create a character no one which Rollo Treadway might barely blink an eye. stops across the street. Treadway exits clutching a hopeful could relate to, but with whom everyone would instantly There is something magical and unique about the top of bouquet of flowers and marches up the brick-lined steps. sympathize. Divisadero Street. Buster Keaton saw it in 1924, and we can His girlfriend, played by Kathryn McGuire, is caught off The casual viewer will laugh at the scene, but the see it still. guard by Treadway’s epiphany and rejects his offer of extravagance goes past the joke. Keaton picked this spot — MARK FANTINO

Hitchcock on Buchanan Walking NORTH on Buchanan Street crossing Sacramento, you hardly notice the home on the corner. Built in 1900, this sheepish three-story house seems to endeavor not to draw attention to itself. But Alfred Hitchcock saw it differently. It was here that he filmed climactic scenes of his very last film, Family Plot, released in 1976. It may never be considered one of Hitchcock’s greats. While it does include many of his trademark suspenseful moments and thrilling intrigue, Hitchcock injected a level of zaniness in this film he had not mastered. Barbara Harris and Bruce Dern play the out-of-their-element young couple dead set on uncovering the truth about an unclaimed family fortune, as well as an enormous diamond. But instead they get caught up in the sinister skulduggery of the shiny-toothed villain William Devane’s murderous schemes. The main entrance of the corner home at Sacramento and Buchanan (left) is used a couple of times in the film. Around the corner on Buchanan is the garage door (right) where some deliciously dastardly scenes take place. At the top are two shots from the film, coupled with two below I shot from the same spot where Hitchcock may have stood as he captured these scenes. — MARK FANTINO

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October 2019 NEW FILLMORE 11 ARCHITECTURE

The Four Corners of Pierce and Pine Four distinguished homes and buildings once graced the intersection, but now only one remains intact

By Bridget Maley

y the time the 1906 earthquake inflicted its destruction, the corner of Pierce and Pine Streets included several stately edifices by some of San Francisco’sB most prominent architects and builders. On the northwest corner, at 1901 Pierce, a large Vic- torian terminated a row of five smaller wood-frame, Italianate houses completed by Henry Hinkel in 1882. Hinkel also built the more elaborate corner Victorian for Moses C. Ellis. Ellis was the proprietor of the North Star Flouring Mills in Tehama, north of Sacramento, though the mill’s local offices were at 232 California Street. On the northeast corner, 1900 Pierce was the home of John I. Sabine, designed by architect William F. Smith and built in 1887. [See “A Home for the Telephone King” from January 2017 at newfillmore.com.] n The southwest corner of Pierce and Pine was graced with the first San Francisco building designed by archi- tect Arthur Page Brown after he moved here from New York. Completed in 1890, it was built as the Crocker Old People’s Home, and reflects the influence of Brown’s for- mer New York employer, the esteemed East Coast archi- tectural firm of McKim, Mead & White. Brown’s client was Mary Ann Crocker, then the recent widow of Charles Crocker, one of the influentialC alifor- nia industrialists who came to be known as the Big Four. In 1889, the widow Crocker persuaded Brown to travel west to design her husband’s elaborate tomb in Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery. She then became a favorite patron, engaging Brown not only to complete the Old People’s Home in honor of her husband, but several other San Francisco projects as well. Casualties of the Raised on the East Coast, Brown was educated at Cor- ‘89 earthquake nell University before joining McKim, Mead & White, arguably the most significant architectural practice at St. Rose Academy (above), a Catholic the time. After an extensive European sojourn, Brown high school for girls, was completed only a few months before the 1906 returned to New York in 1885 and established his own earthquake, but survived — only to be firm. Four years later, he relocated to San Francisco, where torn down after the 1989 earthquake he remained until his death in 1896. when seismic concerns were raised. A bit of a social darling, Brown was responsible for Friends and neighbors of the school numerous important San Francisco commissions during formed a group they called Save St. his short tenure in the city — including Trinity Episcopal Rose!, but were unsuccessful in preserving the building. Church (1892) at Gough and Bush; a collaborative effort An earlier St. Dominic’s Church on the Swedenborgian Church on Lyon Street (1894); building was heavily damaged by the the elaborate Richard Queen House at 2212 Sacramento 1906 earthquake and later torn down and Street (1895); and the Ferry Building, which was com- replaced by a new Gothic building (left) in pleted after Brown suffered fatal injuries in a runaway 1928. The highly decorative lantern that horse and buggy accident. Given the short window of extended for decades from the top of its tower was damaged and removed after his San Francisco practice and the devastation of the the ’89 quake. Flying buttresses were 1906 earthquake and fire, very few ofB rown’s built works later added to strengthen the walls of remain. the church and support its stained glass n windows. The last architectural contribution to the intersection of Pierce and Pine was St. Rose Academy, designed by Albert Pissis and completed just a few months before the 1906 quake. St. Rose, a high school for girls affiliated with the Dominican Sisters ­— along with St. Dominic’s

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12 NEW FILLMORE October 2019 Church and rectory — shared the block purchased by the Dominican Brothers in the 1860s. The Dominican Sisters founded St. Rose in San Rafael in 1863, but later moved the school to San Francisco. A fire in a previous building resulted in the 1906 Pissis commission for a new home. Pissis, roughly a contemporary of Brown, was respon- sible for the Medical Sciences Library at Sacramento and Webster and its neighbor, Temple Sherith Israel. The July 1909 issue of Architect and Engineer noted that Pissis had been “responsible for more graceful, dignified and well-

planned structures on the streets of San Francisco than Y any single practitioner in the Bay City.” The magazine illustrated both St. Rose and Pissis’s Little Sisters of the Poor building at Lake and 4th, demol- ished in 1977, which also exuded classical motifs and a bell tower similar to the one that once topped St. Rose. n Of the four buildings that once graced this intersec- tion, only Sabine’s sinuous Victorian-era house remains intact. Hinkel’s Victorian pile built for Ellis has been com- pletely encased in a boxy 1960s apartment building. Y CENTER | SA N F R A NC IS C O PU B LI BR The Dominican Sisters acquired Brown’s shingled Old People’s Home in the late 1950s for St. Rose Academy, but along the way it lost what architectural historian Anne Bloomfield called an “astonishing roof.” In Gables and Fables, Bloomfield’s husband and co-author Arthur Bloomfield aptly noted that the building was significantly SA N F R A NC IS C O HIS T altered, observing: “The present Rose Court is neither The 1890 Old People’s Home building is still on the southwest corner of Pierce and Pine, but has lost its distinctive roofline. exactly the remains nor, of course, the original of this building whose story suggests a cake that collapsed and Dominican Sisters claimed the building could not be architecture, with a grand exterior double stair leading to was put back together again by a different baker.” seismically retrofitted.” a tall portico. Capped with a bell tower and marching Finally, the lovely and classically inspired home of St. Soon several alumnae formed Save St. Rose!, a group dormer windows, the entire composition was stately and Rose fell victim to a rush to judgment about its structural advocating not necessarily for continued educational use, the refined facade was one that is still missed by alumnae integrity after the 1989 earthquake. but that a compatible new use could be found for the and neighbors alike. Only a grotto that stood behind the Katherine Petrin, an architectural historian, San Fran- building, generating income to pay for the project. Part- school remains, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, but cisco native and St. Rose graduate, class of ’81, observes: nering with San Francisco Architectural Heritage, the known among locals as Our Lady of the Parking Lot. “The feeling at the start of the 1989-90 school year was Save St. Rose! group put forward a study, confirmed that n that St. Rose was experiencing some uncertainty. This federal and state funds were available and presented pre- Recently, leaders of St. Dominic’s have announced was spurred in part by St. Ignatius College Prep becom- servation alternatives to the city Planning Commission plans to demolish the nearby St. Dominic’s School build- ing coeducational a few years earlier and the desire of the and the community. However, on June 26, 1991, the San ing on Pine Street. Studies are underway for a project Dominican order to focus its educational mission at other Francisco Board of Permit Appeals upheld the Planning that would replace the now-vacant school, built in 1929, facilities in Marin. After the October ’89 earthquake, Commission’s approval of a permit to demolish St. Rose. and the parking lot where St. Rose Academy stood for many St. Rose alumnae were none too pleased when the The building was a fine example ofR enaissance Revival decades.

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October 2019 NEW FILLMORE 13 friendshipline_8x10_newfillmoread_r5.indd 1 4/20/18 12:09 PM NEIGHBORHOOD HOME SALES

Single Family Homes BR BA PK Sq ft Days Date Asking Sale 1807 Scott St 1 1 0 1,057 12 9/5/2019 1,100,000 1,125,000 2094 Bush St 3 3 1 2,346 71 8/30/2019 2,790,000 2,700,000 2814 Clay St 6 5 1 n/a 114 9/12/2019 3,750,000 3,200,000 NORFOLK PRESS 2104 Divsadero St 4 3 2 2,740 38 8/20/2019 3,895,000 3,600,000 norfolkpress.com 2816 Laguna St 4 4 2 2,934 78 9/6/2019 3,850,000 3,800,000 2148 Pine St 4 4 2 3,539 78 8/16/2019 4,200,000 4,150,000 3990 Washington St 6 7 4 10,000 188 9/13/2019 8,950,000 9,100,000 2561 Washington St 5 4 2 5,469 3 9/12/2019 7,800,000 9,100,000

Condos / Co-ops / TICs / Lofts 1905 Gough St #106 1 1 0 1,000 20 8/20/2019 995,000 1,000,000 1880 Steiner St #411 1 1 1 671 15 8/28/2019 895,000 1,000,000 1620 Broadway #4 2 2 1 n/1 110 8/30/2019 995,000 1,025,000 1880 Steiner St #213 2 2 1 1,001 14 9/13/2019 1,095,000 1,225,000 Publishing for Entrepreneurs 2075 Sutter St #221 2 2 1 1,044 19 9/10/2019 1,239,500 1,250,000 2203 Newcomb Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124 2075 Sutter St #525 2 2 1 1,084 40 9/10/2019 1,395,000 1,325,000 Ph: 415.813.1884 email: [email protected] 1856 Franklin St #2 3 2 1 1,230 49 8/23/2019 1,500,000 1,428,000 2060 Divisadero St #1 1 1 1 n/a 1 9/13/2019 1,449,000 1,449,000 3100 Washington St #1 2 2 1 1,287 34 9/5/2019 1,395,000 1,485,000 NorfolkPress Newspaper Ad.v2.indd 2 9/13/18 10:57 AM 3416 California St 2 3 1 1,365 12 8/19/2019 1,385,000 1,585,000 2200 Sacramento St #602 2 2 1 1,139 0 9/10/2019 1,700,000 1,700,000 1880 Steiner St #403 2 3 1 1,569 8 8/20/2019 1,645,000 1,720,000 2060 Divsadero St #2 2 3 1 n/a 0 9/13/2019 1,729,000 1,729,000 1950 Bush St 3 2 2 1,601 6 9/6/2019 1,895,000 2,050,000 2780 Jackson St 3 2 1 1,745 0 8/23/2019 2,095,000 2,050,000 3063 Washington St #3 4 3 1 n/a 111 8/30/2019 2,995,000 2,800,000 1924 Filbert St #2 3 3 2 2,402 7 8/16/2019 2,995,000 3,200,000 2326 Union St 3 3 2 2,550 18 9/12/2019 2,999,000 3,200,000

Write that book! Do you have a book you’ve been wanting to write? Fiction, memoir, a collection of stories… Are you having trouble getting started? Or nished? Have questions about self-publishing? I can help. The home at 2561 PAMELA FEINSILBER Washington, Book Editor | Writing Coach | Publishing Consultant on the block between pamelafeinsilber.com Fillmore and [email protected] Alta Plaza Park, sold in three days.

The lure of Fillmore Street A PAIR OF recent home sales, both on Washington Street, highlight the fact that buyers are willing to sacrifice extra square footage for a highly walkable location. The single-family homes at 2561 Washington Street and 3990 Washington Street each sold for $9.1 million during the second week of September. Though the two commanded an identical price, they differ greatly in size, with 3990 Washington boasting 10,000 square feet of living space — nearly double that of 2561 Washington, which clocks in at about 5,500 square feet. The smaller home changed hands in a brisk three days, while the larger took more than six months to sell. A few facts explain why a substantially smaller home sold for the same price as a much larger one — and did it so much faster. First, 2561 Washington Street, which had been in the same family for decades, features beautifully proportioned rooms and a desirable open floor plan. Also, the home needs work, which offers the new owners the opportunity to re-envision it to their tastes and specifications. Finally, there is the classic real estate mantra of location, location, location. While 3990 Washington Street sits on the far edge of Presidio Heights, which would make it necessary for owners to drive frequently, 2561 Washington is barely half a block from Fillmore Street, an easy stroll to dozens of local restaurants, boutiques and services.

— Data and commentary provided by PATRICK BARBER at Compass Real Estate. Contact him at [email protected] or call 415-345-3001. /VBJBb/VB^ddoWWpBoOB_OpsBsOpB_OplOopdb_WKObpOMJ|sVOpsBsOdT B_WTdobWBBT_WBsOMzWsV dalBppà dalBppWpB opportunity housing equal laws. by abides and of California state the by licensed broker estate real

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14 NEW FILLMORE October 2019 ART

Preparing one of the textiles for the exhibition: from left, curator Sandy Rosenbaum, collector Carol Pearlman and Rhoda Goldman Plaza

t z staffers Candiece Milford and Emma Davis. y n A la n-K a t h er K a

By Barbara Kate Repa “Sandy and Ron did most of the work,” Carol says. “I’m just the manager — a micromanager.” arol Pearlman and Sandy Rosenbaum are as Collector Carol and Sandy are also quick to thank many of the physically close as any two neighbors can be, staff members who helped make the exhibition a reality even in San Francisco. They became next-door — including activities director Emma Davis, who helped C neighbors when they moved into Rhoda Goldman Plaza Meets Curator secure the necessary supplies and space; marketing direc- at 2180 Post Street just shy of a year ago. tor Candiece Milford, who originally introduced the two “We share a wall!” they exclaim in unison, a mark of of them and enthusiastically backed the project; longtime how much in sync they have become. chef Kelly Dame, who baked up delicacies for the open- The two also laugh together often and are quick to New next-door neighbors find they ing last month and kept them fueled all year with doses break into good-natured teasing. Their friendship blos- share mutual interests, and of kombucha tea; and activities assistant Joseph Jordan somed and deepened quickly as the two collaborated on who fastidiously ironed the muslin before it was tacked a project that culminated in an exhibition of Indonesian an exhibition is born to the boards. textiles, which Carol collected and Sandy curated, that’s Covering the boards with muslin took at least an hour now up at Rhoda Goldman Plaza and open to the public Now displayed on the walls of the entryway and game each. Then add another half a day each to pin the textile for viewing through the end of October. room at Rhoda Goldman Plaza are several treasures from pieces on the boards. n Carol’s collection, many of them oblong and fringed “It took a lot of time, but we had plenty of it, ” Sandy “We just met each other, and we had the right combi- handwoven pieces called Hinggi that were traditionally says. nation of talents,” says Sandy. Carol continues: “Our com- worn on ceremonial occasions by Dani men, their designs Strategically placed placards explain the textiles and mon interests brought an immediate bond between us. I identifying their places in the social order. the tribe, with more information provided on printed love Sandy more and more, the more I know her.” “I found them so attractive; I just loved them,” says sheets for those who want to dig deeper. Their mutual interests include a love of travel, textiles Carol. “Indonesians make the most exquisite textiles. And n and time spent living in Los Angeles. they were also easy to carry home.” The exhibition extends from the downstairs area to the Carol, a self-described adventuress, lived in “the great Sandy heaps on her highest praise: “They are slightly second floor, where glass cases enclose more of Carol’s capital cities of the world” before settling into her last exotic, but not over the top, you know.” collected artifacts. Included are large carry bags made roost in Vallejo — a place she found rife with political Readying the textiles for display was a labor of love. from natural fibers crafted by knotted netting that are intrigue. Before that, she traveled extensively, and on a Foamboards had to be cut to size, covered in ironed mus- used to hoist babies, pigs and the sweet potatoes that trip to Indonesia in the 1990s collected an assortment of lim, the textiles allowed to “relax” before being meticu- make up the bulk of the Dani diet. There are smaller textiles and artifacts from the Dani Tribe of Irian Jaya lously mounted using a sufficient number of straight pins bags for smaller cargo, plus a dried gourd worn as a penis that are now in the exhibition. to support the weight of the fabric: 200 to 300 in each sheath, and handwoven bracelets made especially for the “Sandy was settled down then, married to a doctor,” piece. wearer. Carol says, suggesting a subtle distinction with her more “Things had to be done right,” says Sandy, the once “I wanted these things displayed downstairs, but Sandy adventurous past. and current curator. felt they needed to be protected,” Carol says. “Anything but,” Sandy replies. She was curator of the n “Well, I’m the curator,” Sandy deadpans. prestigious Doris Stein Research Center for Costumes They got help with the task from another resident, & Textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Ron Miguel, who took an interest in the painstaking pin- “Indonesian Textiles & Handcrafts: Dani Tribe of the “One of the big attractions of my job at the museum was ning. When he’d finally finished, they awarded him an Baliem Valley” continues through October 30 at Rhoda I got to travel all over the world,” she says. honorary degree: “Ph.D. in Pinpushing.” Goldman Plaza at 2180 Post Street.

MASSES PRAYERS & SACRAMENTS 5:30 pm (Saturday Vigil) The church is open for prayer all day 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30 am and into the early evening. 1:30, 5:30 & 9:00 pm Liturgy of the Hours (Daily) WEEKDAYS Morning Prayer 7:15 am/Sat 8:00 am 6:30 & 8:00 am & 5:30 pm Evening Prayer 5:00 pm SATURDAY Reconciliation Sat 5:00 pm, 7:40 am Rosary, 8:00 am Mass Sun 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 am, 5:00 pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Mon & Wed 8:30 am & 6 pm Tue & Fri 8:30 pm

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Compass is the brand name used for services provided by one or more of the Compass group of subsidiary companies. Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. WKObpO!taJOo“”“šœ““œà__aBsOoWB_loOpObsOMVOoOWbWpWbsObMOMTdoWbTdoaBsWdbB_ltoldpOpdb_|BbMWpKdalW_OMTodapdtoKOpMOOaOMoO_WBJ_OJtsVBpbdsJOObyOoWOMà VBbUOpWbloWKOÛKdbMWsWdbÛpB_OdozWsVMoBzB_aB|JOaBMO without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate. Home must qualify under Compass Concierge guidelines. Subject to additional terms and conditions.